When I shared the recipe for Rosemary Focaccia in a Jar, I knew I’d want a soup or other food that would go along with the bread in a gift basket, so I came up with Red Beans and Rice. I think it would make a unusual gift, with the bonus of a reusable container when presented in a jar for storage.

To make it even more unique, I used my home-grown, dried heirloom Jacob’s Cattle beans, so instead of titling the recipe for my tag “Red Beans and Rice”, I called it “Heirloom Jacob’s Cattle Beans and Rice.”

You can substitute any bean, really, for the red beans and then title it appropriately.

The key to this jar is to keep the three items separate:

the rice

beans

and spices

1. Put the rice into a clear tie-top baggie (zipper-top bags don’t fold as well in the jar) before setting it in a wide-mouth jar and then add the beans on top of the rice baggie.

2. Use a square of plastic wrap and measure out all of the spices into the middle.

3. Bring the edges together and tie the plastic closed with a twist-tie, creating a “spice packet” to add on top of the beans in the jar.

4. After putting the lid on, attach the instructions with ribbon.

Idea for a gift basket: Include a small bottle of hot sauce with the Beans and Rice and nestle them both, along with the jar of Rosemary Focaccia if you’d like, in a serving bowl (this one was a thrift store find) or a basket lined with a pretty napkin.

I’d be thrilled to get a gift like this- wouldn’t you? A night off from planning dinner!

Here’s how to make it:

Red (or black, or cranberry, etc….) Beans and Rice In A Jar:

2 c. long-grain white rice

2 c. dried beans (about 3/4 lbs.)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. garlic powder (optional: omit and include a couple cloves of fresh garlic in basket)

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

-Place the rice in a clear plastic baggie with a twist-tie closure. Put in the bottom of a wide-mouth quart jar. Pour the beans directly on top of the rice baggie. -Place all the spices in the middle of a square of plastic wrap. Bring up the edges and close with a twist-tie. Put on top of the beans in the jar (trim the top of the spice packet with scissors, if needed). -Use a ribbon or twine to attach the cooking instructions to the jar.

Oven 375 degrees. Mix first three in a bowl. Beat sweetened condensed milk and soft butter until smooth in a large bowl. Combine wet and dry in the large bowl until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips, nuts & coconut.

That’s the regular recipe. So, put the first three in the bottom of a quart jar, mixed or layered. Then put the nuts and coconut in a non-zip type baggie in the top of the jar. Then put the bag of chocolate chips and can of condensed sweetened milk with the quart jar in a basket or gift bag. Revise the recipe for the jar. The only thing the recipient has to buy is butter.